Afterthoughts

This movie was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be. My preliminary examination of the plot consisted of "a story about the music industry, incorporating elements inspired by Britney Spears and Madonna." How deep could it get? What I ended up with was actually a pretty complex story that unfortunately disintegrated towards the end into... well, you saw the clips. I will say that I was mildly and pleasantly surprised that there was as much characterization as there was.

The only major problems I had with this movie were the very different tone for the ending and the comic relief scenes. The ending seemed to be a bit over the top, and rather violent for a film that really hadn't been up to that point. Not to mention the ridiculous fight choreography - do the creators of these movies really look at these scenes? Maybe I just don't see the appeal of completely absurd stunts in these fights between "normal" people. Neither of the men involved had super powers, nor were they in an alternate universe, nor was the gravity lower on the boat. So why did the smallest of gestures send people hurtling through the air? It just doesn't work.

The comedy scenes, referring particularly to those featuring Manmo and Chandan, just went on way too long. The scene with the actor impersonating Amitabh Bachchan just added three minutes of padding to the movie that did not need to be there at all. I'm guessing that was someone's nephew who had been promised a cameo.

I was also surprised at the amount of racy content this movie had. There are quite a few on-screen kisses, and the whole love scene with Rashmi and Rahul when the power went out was quite a shock, no pun intended.

Manisha Koirala (Mallika) makes Mallika a believable character. She is a fading star, in the twilight of her fame. She has the sense to realize this, and admit it to Rahul. However, she still finds it hard to face as more evidence of that truth finds its way to her. Moments such as the poor turnout at the grand opening of the store, and how the press was fawning all over Rashmi at her album debut party and completely ignoring Mallika, all drove the fact home that she is yesterday's news. Now I am not famous, nor do I expect to ever be, so I can't say I know how that must feel. I will wager that it's a bitter pill to swallow, and she has a hard time doing so. As more of her previously wonderful life slips away (particularly Rahul), she recedes more into her vices, smoking and drinking to excess. Finally those problems lead to tragedy, when she suggests to a psychotic killer that he bump off the one man he really wanted to kill more than any other. I was pleased with how Mallika was presented, and she fulfilled her role nicely. Well played, Ms. Manisha.

Aryan Vaid (Rahul) was a pleasant surprise. This was the first movie I'd seen him in, and he did better than I thought he would. He did do a few things that I didn't care for, such as how he was a little misleading to Mallika about how he felt about her (I'm thinking of how he lied to her at her birthday party). However, I would call him a sympathetic character overall. He was honest with Mallika initially, and said that he wanted to marry her. When she refused, he went on with his life and found someone that did love him and would marry him. Fair play to Rahul, in my opinion. I was pleased that he didn't get destroyed by Jaidev, and had a somewhat happy ending. So, nice job Mr. Vaid.

Preeti Jhangiani (Rashmi) was another new face for me. I was impressed! Yes, they did capitalize on her physical beauty (I was thinking the whole time that she had Urmila Matondkar's eyes and the rest of Kareena Kapoor's face) but she also did a good job playing her part. Rashmi is believable as an aspiring performer, and she has all of the enthusiasm and just enough naiveté to make her a credible newcomer in the music business. She also possesses the ability to escape from seemingly impossible bonds and bonk people with pipes. These are skills that will come in handy as a singer. I look forward to seeing Ms. Jhangiani in other films, and I'm sure she'll do well.

Last but not least, we have Sharad Kapoor (Jaidev). One of these days this guy is going to get a part where he doesn't A. die or B. get beaten to a dripping pulp. Jaidev does have his subtle moments. I was impressed with the scene where Liza threw herself at him, and he refused her. I was almost expecting a "love the one you're with" moment there, but he was faithful to his obsession with Mallika. That sounded odd when I typed it, but I think you know what I mean. Most of the time, he was just crazy. He was convincing in his role though, and he is able to generate a decent amount of menace when he needs to. If he were given some real fight choreography instead of the nonsense we ended up with, he could probably do an action role without too much strain. So, not too bad Sharad.

Negatives:

Positives:

 

Today's rating icon is from the reconciliation scene between Rashmi and Rahul. She's trying to be serious and get her man to face her, and she helps him turn his head. Unfortunately, she also catches his slack lip with her palm and jams her thumb in his eye. Nice one Rashmi! They lost points due largely to the final battle, and the somewhat lackluster soundtrack.

Chaahat Ek Nasha... (2005)

Quality:     (Out of 5)
Entertainment Value:       (Out of 5)

 

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